Friday, January 18, 2008

Bobby Fischer (1943-2008)

Checkmate.


16 comments:

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

I still remember the hoopla when he beat the Russian in 1972. He was a man of his own convictions.

Anonymous said...

Holy moly! Fischer certainly was controversial, but nobody can deny his chess genius. I've never understood how he could play games against himself, but then I'm an incredibly lousy chess player.

Maybe I should "q" up Searching for Bobby Fischer again. I love that flick!

The Film Geek said...

Hey FG and Donutbuzz: The guy was one of a kind. One of the prevailing theories about Fischer is that he may have had an autism spectrum disorder, most likely Asperger's Disorder, which accounted for his unusual behavior and extreme isolation.

Anonymous said...

In remembrance of Bobby Fischer I would like to hear stories about when each of you learned to play chess.

The Film Geek said...

Interesting exercise, Bionic Bigfoot. :)

I learned to play chess in Tijuana. About five minutes across the border I was asked to come inside this small shop, where the guy tried really hard to seel me pot. Instead, I found a really cool marble chess board and pieces there, and bought it for $5. My friend schooled me how to play over a whole lotta Mexican beer during the following couple of hours.

Anonymous said...

That is a good memory making moment. So much of life slips through the cracks if you dont pay attention. I want to hear more stories!

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, not a lot of chess playing in WV these days huh? How about memories involving the game clue? Any takers?

The Film Geek said...

What's your chess story, Bigfoot?

Anonymous said...

I have no chess story. I can only live vicariously through the lives and chess stories of others.

Anonymous said...

I guess you could say Im always getting sloppy seconds in a karmic story telling sense that is...

The Film Geek said...

You couldsay it, if you were reciting dialogue from a Porky's movie circa 1981.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I had to shift gears a bit. I tried the 'lets celebrate Bobby Fischer by sharing stories about ourselves'. When that didn’t work I took it down into a more comfortable realm of knee-jerk reaction and self degradation. Now if I can just make someone else feel bad to make myself feel good I'll have rounded out my trip down WV memory lane complete.. HOLY SHIT I just did it!! Beers are on me!!

Evil Twin's Wife said...

My 10 year old son started playing chess at the age of 4. We had to find a tutor for him - because neither of us play. He loved the movie "Searching for Bobby Fisher". He doesn't play much these days, but he knows how.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I just haven't had time to tell my chess story, Bionic Bigfoot!

Ok. I was in junior high school and Kanawha County Library was hosting a chess tournament. It was a round-robin format, I think. In my first match, about four or five moves into the game, I notice the kid I'm playing is practically hyperventilating. And I'm like, what's goin' on with him. . . . Of course, it turns out that he had me checkmated the next move. As it turned out, he also won the whole tournament.

That about sums up my chess life.

Anonymous said...

Good stories, thanks! Im heading out for a beer.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

I do have a memory of taking up Chess. It happened at work at lunch in 1972. There was so much talk about Bobbie Fisher becoming the Chess Champion that everyone wanted to try it. That was the year I learned about Chess. I was a very agressive player and often would get my Queen into the fray early not knowing any better. One of the best players at work could never get use to my agressive style and could never beat me. Others would wait until I made stupid mistakes then take me to the cleaners. Chess was such a complicated game.
We soon moved to playing Bridge at lunch.